


Only Love Can

by UnfairestOfThemAll (lithiungirl08)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark, Gen, Snow White Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 21:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7190120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lithiungirl08/pseuds/UnfairestOfThemAll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Henry hates Regina and Emma is a wild card.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only Love Can

**Author's Note:**

> I will be working on this. 
> 
> ****beta desired***

“You don’t love me!” Henry shouted at Regina who recoiled as if she’d been physically struck. Sure she could lash out at Emma who she hadn’t realized had entered. She could point the finger and remind Henry that he was her Little Prince. That because Emma _did not_ want him she had saved him from what would have been a life of only God knows what.  Because of Regina he had never had to face struggle, hunger, poverty or instability. Yet she could not bring herself to it. The woman who had slain so many mercilessly could be struck dead herself by her son.

Instead, all she could manage was,” Henry” in a pleading tone. She hated herself for that. Her words never seemingly enough and her actions dismissed as bribery. All she desired was to hold a special place in his heart the most special, that of his mother.

“Emma is my….” He began but faltered. Regina watched as confusion and worry etched  onto his face before turning around to face the savior.

Were those teardrops forming?

“You don’t get to speak to your mom that way.” Emma said quietly barely chancing a glance towards Regina to see if she’d crossed her very thin line. From the short distance, all she could see in brown eyes was absolute bewilderment.

“But…”

“She loves you.” Emma began ascending the stairs towards him,” and most importantly she wants you. She wants to be with you. We may not always agree on everything but she **IS** your mother. There are a lot of kids out there that wished they had someone to tuck them in at night, make them their favorite breakfast in the morning, hell that even are able to eat breakfast. And you are just throwing it all away. All that love.”

“You would have had a mother.” He said sternly and Emma didn’t bother to stop the eye roll.

Emma placed herself firmly in front of Regina. “Take it.”

“I beg your pardon.” Regina’s mouth contorted partially out of shock.

“Take my heart.” Emma stood perfectly still; shrug aside and motioning towards her chest.

“Emma no!” Henry whined, wide-eyed in a panic looking forward between them both.

That is when Regina made her move raising her hand as Henry threw himself in front of Emma. Nothing happened. The mayor’s hand moved over her son and put the savior’s arms down. Sadly she eyed her son who was so distrustful that he thought she was about to do the unthinkable in front of him. Her heart clenched in on itself.

“We need to talk.” Emma goaded him towards the kitchen and then pulled out a stool for him as she sat on the pristine countertop. “What the hell was that?”

“She was going to do it! Did you not see her?”

“Evil Queen or not she wouldn’t do that in front of you. Besides couldn’t she brew some potion and make you forget anyway?” Emma asked reaching for an apple and taking a healthy bite out of it.

“There isn’t any magic here.”

“Right.”

“I’m serious!”

“I’m going to tell you something and I need you to listen really closely okay?”

He nodded unsure of where this conversation was headed. “I want you to read your book BUT I want you to read her story. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, but Emma there isn’t a lot about her.”

“Well, I want you to find her story in there somewhere. And I want you to tell me why you think she’s this Evil Queen. Because she just is will not be a good enough answer.”

“The apple tree, there is a mirror in every room, she’s the mayor.”

“Kid,” she slinked into the seat beside him so they could be eye level. “All Regina wants is to love you. You loved her. I’ve seen pictures around this house. I never had that growing up. Honestly, I’d give anything for a freaky Friday moment where I could experience that.”

His nose wrinkled,” with my mom?”

Her thumbs were hooked in leather pockets. “Yep. I’d make her read to me and tuck me in. We’d go play at the park. I’d make her cards and drop them by her work.”

“You’d have to go to school for 8 hours a day. Believe in the book. Mom would nag you to not to leave your shoes on the stairs.”

“I’d have to sneak off to be with myself. We can’t have her thinking I’m too perfect.” Emma retorted getting a snort of laughter in return. “What you see as nagging is her trying to make sure you know what you need to know to succeed in life. That doesn’t make her evil now does it?”

His shrug was so like hers it hurt to watch.

“Do you love her?”  Emma asked seriously as he nodded. A slow smile spread all the way to green eyes. “Don’t you think you should go apologize then?” He shot off stomping through the house in search of his brunette mother.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Regina said from the other side of the kitchen making Emma jump up in surprise and clutch at her chest. Before adopting a half shrug

 Half-shrug, “You didn’t have to adopt him either and give him a home, love and all of your time. Here we are. What were you doing watching through one of your mirrors?”

Regina recognized it for the joke it was and forced a smile on her face.

“No magic dear.” She insisted making Emma laugh.

“Explains why I ate the apple and lived.”

“Those are only for your mother remember?” Regina moved to pour herself some wine with the smile of a Cheshire cat.

“Can’t, never met her.” Keeping her composure, she fetched a second glass and handed it off to the sheriff gingerly sipping away. “Guess that means you succeeded.” Emma added after a beat.

“I hear you live together now. Wouldn’t that mean I failed?” Regina continued with a smirk knowing Emma was ignorant to what was right in front of her. Who was right in front of her.

“Doesn’t that make you my Grandma or something?”

“Very astute Miss. Swan. But no, I wouldn’t be anymore.”

Emma hummed with laughter before green and brown eyes met. The mayor's face was tight and a false smile in place. They moved to take a drink at the same time. Regina in all her grace and Emma in her way that was sorely lacking any.

“Regina, you are a wonderful mother. The kid is just going through a rough time you know? I never even had to rage on about any of my foster parents not loving me because…none of them did. If just one of them had looked at me the way you looked at him things could have been so different. Who knows what I could have done with my life” she mused before thinking Regina doesn’t care. “He has food, shelter, his own bed, his own stuff and every day he knows he can come home to you. That you’ll be here for him no matter how shitty he treats you. That’s real magic.”

She pushed herself away from the island and stood up taking a large swallow out of her glass. Nodding towards Regina her and Henry nearly colliding as she went to seek him out for the first time in a long time Henry smiled right past her to Regina. Despite his chilly words earlier she felt hope swell in her breast as he walked right up and hugged her wholeheartedly.

“I’m sorry Mom.”

She kissed his head, held him closer than before and smoothed some wild hairs out of his face.

“I love you.” She said making Emma’s heart skip a beat as she watched on silently. Henry held on tighter than she had ever witnessed and relaxed into it. “Time for bed.”

Their son groaned externally but a smile quickly replaced it as he walked to Emma and hugged her as well. “Sleep tight kid.”

“I love you too Emma.” He said sarcastically and headed up the stairs tossing her a smile down.

Her cheeks were wet before she realized it. The stare from brown eyes brought her back.

“Sorry…just seeing you two, no matter how tentative the peace Is.” Emma fought to clear her throat and find the words “everything I prayed for while I was pregnant. Not to have to grow up in some shitty foster home with people who didn’t love him. Just…you.”

Emma swiped at her tears furiously and made her way to the door.

“Emma, wait.” Regina caught her on the precipice. But she hadn’t meant to call out to her to turn her around and make her stop. Now that she had color flooded her face.

“C’mon Regina, my “mom” will be waiting up for me. Wouldn’t want her to think you were up to your old tricks.” Emma jabbed her sense of humor sliding up to take the place of tears.

Regina gasped and feigned offense. “I invented them!”

“Whatever you say, Grandma!”

“You will never call me that again.” Regina poked her dark look behind her eyes but the hints of a smile. She straightened her spine to compliment the stern look.

“Yes, your Majesty.” Emma tried making them both laugh. “Should I renounce my claim to the throne and swear fealty?”

“That would be delicious another time perhaps?”

“Your Highness.” Emma conceded with a mock bow and then a mischievous look took over and she neared the mayor. Her spine remained straight as they become face to face. Only when Emma came to within a hair's breadth did the air feel knocked from the Queen’s lungs. Then it was the sheriff reaching past her and palming an apple.  Emma was so foolish. “I’ll inform mommy dearest that you wish her well.”

“I do hope she likes apples.” Regina offered red lips parted over perfect white teeth sharing in knowing smirks. The way Emma’s lips slowly retracted to reveal her own smile spoke volumes.

“The Queen has jokes!”

Even when the door closed behind her Regina remained in the foyer simply staring in the direction she had seen Miss. Swan last. A wild card indeed she thought, sipping some cider. Could the savior serve as a blessing and a curse? Destined to put an end to near thirty years of absolute control and the same day on repeat but also mending her and Henry’s relationship. She would have to sleep on it and do her best to meet her move for move. It wasn’t in her nature to trust and she sure as hell wasn’t going to start now. The best of intentions always had found a way to bite her in the ass.

 

***Buzz……buzz……buzz……buzz****

Regina peered at her phone as she sipped her morning coffee. Deciding to flip it open and view the incoming text message.

**_Hope this makes your morning. Viva La Queen!! ~Emma_ **

She hit download and Mary Margaret filled her screen. The short-haired woman was lying on the floor with the apple from the previous night and a healthy bite missing and mouth agape.

 ** _Idiot_** , the mayor thought. She smiled nonetheless. What was she going to do with Emma? The woman was a wild card if she’d ever been dealt one but she couldn’t stop laughing as she looked at the picture message once more. This was one photo that was to be kept.

**buzz**

**Bet you wish they had cell phones back in the Enchanted Forest so you make sure this was done correctly the FIRST time.**

This photo had Emma showing thumbs up while her mother remained “lifeless” in the background. Despite herself, Regina laughed and sent her response. How any gene pool could be so moronic and yet never die was beyond her.

**_Well done dear. Now bring me her head on a platter._ **

**Annnnnd we’re done. Have a good day Regina.**

**Likewise Miss. Swan.**


End file.
